AACTA launches international awards; announces dates for local awards

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the dates of their two major awards ceremonies and launched an international awards which will take place just a month before the Oscars in the US.

The AACTA was formed in August by the Australian Film Institute and aims to improve national and international recognition of Australia’s screen practitioners.

The AACTA International Awards will recognise excellence within the categories of best film, best acting, writing and directing and is open to any international film, voted on by the Australian academy.

The launch comes as AACTA announce its two local awards dates.

The first awards ceremony recognises the achievements of the technical side of the industry, will take place during a luncheon on 15 January. This ceremony will coincide with the announcement of the international award nominees, with video link-up, to the G’Day USA’s black tie gala held in Los Angeles.

The international categories should help the AACTA becomes part of the build up to the Academy Awards which take place on February 26 next year.

G’Day USA is a partnership between the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Austrade, Tourism Australia, Qantas, and state governments to strengthen trade, investment, business, innovation and cultural relations between Australian and the USA. The G’Day USA Gala recognises the achievements of Australians in the entertainment sector.

The international award winners will be announced at AACTA‘s general awards, held on 31 January at the Sydney Opera House and broadcast by Channel Nine.

Damian Trewhella, CEO of the Australian Film Institute and AACTA said: “AACTA’s new International Engagement Program aims to increase the profile of Australia’s screen performers, practitioners and productions internationally, and we believe that our new collaboration with G’Day USA, which has an audience reach of millions in the US and throughout the world, and which celebrates Australian achievement in culture and the arts, is the perfect platform for this.”

“Australia’s film and television industries play an important role in forming our cultural identity, in influencing tourism and in contributing to our export market, and we look forward to working alongside G’Day USA to raise the profile of our screen industry internationally.”

The move of the awards from December to January was made to align the Australian film industry and its awards with the international awards season ahead of UK’s BAFTA Awards on 12 February and the US Oscars on 26 February. The announcement of the international awards in LA moves this one step closer.

“By hosting our awards in Sydney, Australia’s world-celebrated events capital, by creating an International Engagement Program, and by integrating with the international screen awards season,” added Trewhella, “we are reflecting the truly global nature of Australia’s screen industry, and placing our industry in a strong position to create new opportunities, both here and abroad.”

I think it’s a mistake for AACTA to include this new ‘International Awards’ and to have the winners announced alongside the Australian Feature/TV winners. Australia wants to feel like a player when it comes to Oscar season but at what expense? Do you really need to award a best film/actor/actress with the likes of say Meryl Streep, Deniro, DeCaprio, Pitt (as examples), Spielberg at the same time when you’re trying to award Best Aussie Feature film of 2011 and garner attention for Aussie product? Some Oz films need that extra ‘feather in their cap’ so to speak before US distributors are willing to make a deal. Look at Fred Schepisi’s “The Eye of The Storm.” It has not been able to get a US deal yet. Adding the International Awards will only overshadow AACTA winners.